BACKGROUND: The intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) is an important clinical parameter that can significantly change during respiration. Currently, IAP is recorded at end-expiration (IAPee), while continuous IAP changes during respiration (ΔIAP) are ignored. Herein, a novel concept of considering continuous IAP changes during respiration is presented.METHODS: Based on the geometric mean of the IAP waveform (MIAP), a mathematical model was developed for calculating respiratory-integrated MIAP (i.e. MIAPri=IAPee+i⋅ΔIAP), where 'i' is the decimal fraction of the inspiratory time, and where ΔIAP can be calculated as the difference between the IAP at end-inspiration (IAPei) minus IAPee. The effect of various parameters on IAPee and MIAPri was evaluated with a mathematical model and validated afterwards in six mechanically ventilated patients. The MIAP of the patients was also calculated using a CiMON monitor (Pulsion Medical Systems, Munich, Germany). Several other parameters were recorded and used for comparison.RESULTS: The human study confirmed the mathematical modelling, showing that MIAPri correlates well with MIAP (R2 = 0.99); MIAPri was significantly higher than IAPee under all conditions that were used to examine the effects of changes in IAPee, the inspiratory/expiratory (I:E) ratio, and ΔIAP (P <0.001). Univariate Pearson regression analysis showed significant correlations between MIAPri and IAPei (R = 0.99), IAPee (R = 0.99), and ΔIAP (R = 0.78) (P <0.001); multivariate regression analysis confirmed that IAPee (mainly affected by the level of positive end-expiratory pressure, PEEP), ΔIAP, and the I:E ratio are independent variables (P <0.001) determining MIAP. According to the results of a regression analysis, MIAP can also be calculated asMIAP=-0.3+IAPee+0.4⋅ΔIAP+0.5⋅IE.CONCLUSIONS: We believe that the novel concept of MIAP is a better representation of IAP (especially in mechanically ventilated patients) because MIAP takes into account the IAP changes during respiration. The MIAP can be estimated by the MIAPri equation. Since MIAPri is almost always greater than the classic IAP, this may have implications on end-organ function during intra-abdominal hypertension. Further clinical studies are necessary to evaluate the physiological effects of MIAP.